Typically, utilizing a master gaming controller, a gaming machine controls various combinations of devices that allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on the gaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usually requires a player to input money or an indicia of credit into the gaming machine, indicate a wager amount, and initiate game play. These steps require the gaming machine to control input devices, such as bill validators and coin acceptors, to accept money into the gaming machine and recognize user inputs from devices, including key pads, button pads, card readers, and ticket readers, to determine the wager amount, and initiate game play. After game play has been initiated, the gaming machine determines a game outcome, presents the game outcome to the player and may dispense an award of some type depending on the outcome of the game. The operations described above may be carried out on the gaming machine when the gaming machine is operating as a “stand alone” unit or linked in a network of some type to a group of gaming machines.
As technology in the gaming industry progresses, more and more gaming services are being provided to gaming machines via communication networks that link groups of gaming machines to a remote computer, such as a host server, that provides one or more gaming services. As an example, gaming services that may be provided by a remote computer to a gaming machine via a communication network of some type include player tracking, accounting, cashless award ticketing, lottery, progressive games, and bonus games or prizes. These services and features are provided in addition to the games that are available for play on the gaming machines.
The present invention is primarily directed to methods and devices for implementing bonus prize winning modes, referred to herein as “bonusing systems.” A bonusing system may award a bonus prize in addition to, and independently of, the prizes available due to a game outcome. A bonusing system normally includes a bank of gaming machines in a particular gaming establishment, such as an individual casino. Each gaming machine has an interface that provides communication between the gaming machine and a central network device, such as a server. The server receives information from each gaming machine regarding, e.g., an indication of play, a wager value, etc. The server determines a bonus prize pool that accumulates as the gaming machines are played. The accumulated bonus prize pool may be displayed on the participating gaming machines. The bonus prize pool continues to accumulate until there is a bonus prize award to a particular gaming machine.
Bonusing systems have proven to be popular with players of gaming machines and to increase levels of play, particularly when the bonus prize pool becomes large. However, bonusing systems are limited to a specific site, such as a casino or similar establishment. Therefore, the bonus pool can only grow as fast as contributions at that site will permit. Moreover, bonusing systems are typically implemented as part of a player tracking or accounting system. Therefore, adding bonusing features to a set of gaming machines requires that the player tracking or accounting system be upgraded. In addition, owners of gaming establishments do not want to share player tracking information, so linking bonusing systems between gaming establishments would be problematic. It would be desirable to provide novel bonusing systems that address these and other limitations of the prior art.